April 06, 2011

a few random fun things and Paying It Foward...

So Monday I know.. sorry. Not planned. But I have to tell you all.. Wow. Simply WOW! Blown away by your love AND by your pain! who knew so many of are suffering from so many different things. Makes me even more grateful for my good days you know? Thank you all for your wonderful words of encouragement. I don't usually write such personal things.. well I say that but lately I seem to be doing it a lot more! lol.. but honestly I hate talking about my health because I feel like I am complaining. I was So afraid it would come off that way and your comments and love.. helped me realize there was a reason I felt prompted to write that post. I was actually laying on my heater with the blanket pulled over my head and I kept thinking.. "I should be writing about this. It will be helpful for me later." So thank you for letting me share.

So today ONLY Fun things! promise!!

Tomorrow I am doing an ART Tutorial video.. just a fun video on how to use stencils and masks! So make sure to come back for that.. BUT today I had to come on and share with you a few things!

I have a very talented family.. not going to lie and two of my siblings (my brother and my sister) developed a brand new digital/art website called Digital Dandelions My brother and his wife are the brains behind the website, (they also have a website called PeachyCheap.com where they offer deal of the day products for papercrafting!) and my sister, Leora Sanford, who is a brilliant digital artist.. is the designer and owner of this beautiful site! If you aren't a digital designer (like a digi scrapper or anything).. it's OKAY! I am not either and I use a TON of digital artwork on my own mixed media AND on my blog! All of these cute little buttons I use on my blog were created using a digital kit (mostly my sisters.. love Leora's stuff!)

Even my new logo for my art is all using digial designs!

There are SO many things you can do with digital downloads! I also use them to add to my art once I am done! I Scan it in OR take a picture and then I use it to enhance or add to an art piece I have already done. For isntance.. here is one I did..

here is the original:

I created this on a trip last year visiting my friend Mel. The birdcage is out of Wire.. however it just kinda felt a little "unfinished" to me.. but I had already taken the picture of it. So I added a few fun digital designs (some from my sister, some I created myself but taking it off other art pieces I had already created)

I added the butterflies (one by the cage and one by the words). I also added the lace on the lefthand side. I added the digital designs in the upper left hand corner, as well as the scallop doily under the wood the bird is sitting on. I also added some really faint "book text" images on the right side of the canvas as well as the turquoise circle/Doily looking thing. it's AMAZING what digital artwork can do! Of course it's not on the original canvas.. BUT if I wanted to turn this canvas into a print.. or use it just on the web.. the new additions were fast and easy and looks like it is part of the original!

Kinda fun huh? It's a total "hybrid" piece!

So I am SUPER excited about their new digital art website! SO many awesome things on there.. online classes, free tutorials and free downloads.. YOU HAVE to check it out! and spread the word! They just launched the website last week! Here is a little more about it!

Digital Dandelions brings together the digital and paper scrapbooking worlds by offering a variety of products and resources from digital kits to hybrid print-ables. Online classes will be added in the near future if you want to learn how to digital scrapbook, or if you are looking for some technique classes, such as journaling and hybrid projects or scrapbooking. Our talented designers have planted creative seeds to help you create beautiful art and lasting memories..

their new website is having a HUGE grand opening and offering all sorts of cool specials! Right now it's 25% off everything in the store plus a free Kit called "take flight" when you spend $10.00 or more! seriously .. um amazing! So go check it out! I can't wait for the online classes.. because I know there is SO much more I could be doing in the hybrid sense! Can't wait for those!

Speaking of online classes..

did you know that the NEXT She Art Workshop Starts MONDAY???? Can you believe it? If you haven't signed up yet.. or on are the fence.. seriously! DO IT! come join me! You can still sign up! You get to enter the classroom monday morning and have FULL instant access to all of the 3 weeks! Plus join the other students from our first class which launched february 28th! Over a 1000 Artful women in ONE place! You are going to LOVE it!

I have to tell you something that totally touched my heart recently about this class... Last week I received a few emails from women, telling me they had already taken the class and wanted to purchase an extra spot in this class.. as a way of "Paying it foward" for someone else. They said that this class had helped them so much in exploring their inner artist.. and showing them they could be creative.. that they wanted to pay it forward to someone else. I was In TEARS. I was so humbled and touched. One lady in particular.. a very special lady.. purchased 10 spots! 10 SPOTS INTO THE Class! To give anonymously to 10 women who had touched her life. She has cancer and is currently going through chemo right now and these woman had made a huge difference in helping her get through it.. I was so completely touched by her generosity.. so I decided I wanted to jump on the band wagon and PAY IT FORWARD too. You beautiful women (and men) who read my blog.. have all been so kind and supportive and encouraging to ME.. so I want to not only match what she did.. but I will double it! On this blog post today.. I will give away 20 spots into the She Art Workshop that start Monday! If you are already taking the class, then you can give it to a friend or family member and pay it forward to them! all you have to do is post on today's blog.. (spread the word too!!) and Monday morning, I will randomly pick 20 people to pay it forward to.. and I just wanted to say... Teresa.. you are my HERO! love you girl. You are one in a million. Truly.

So that is my fun random things to share today.. help me pay it forward! If you know someone who didn't take this class the first time around.. or someone who needs it! Tell them to come post on the blog and get entered to win!!!

and a few weeks ago when I talked about this class asked the current students to post on the blog.. and why if you are the fence you should take this class.. there were over 400 comments!!! so if you haven't read it.. GO read them! wow.. blown away.. but I also wanted to giveaway a spot into this workshop to one of those gals.. so the random winner from that day is.. Check out that post HERE

Comments

That is an amazing gift that that gal did, to purchase all those spots and Pay it Forward. It is so great to know that there are still so many wonderful amazing women out there that want to give back. Thank you!! Its people like you that inspire me even more. I love to do for others and that is one thing I've been trying to teach my children.

Christy, for you to give away 20 spots is also amazing. Thank you. I will hope to win one of those:) Thanks much.

I have seriously been considering taking an art class, and this should be it! Plus, it begins on my birthday, so even if I am not chosen I will be giving this to myself as a personal gift. My husband just doesn't know it yet. I can do that every once in a while, right? ;)
Thanks for always picking us up and giving us a reason to be HAPPY.

Such a lovely thing to do, warms my heart it truly does. I am already signed up and super excited for Monday and to win a gift of this class for a friend would be totally awesome x Thanks for the opprtunity and role on Monday xxx

That is such a wonderful act of generosity and giving...it warms my heart to know there are people out there like that. I would love to win a spot!! :) I have had a rough few months and would love to be able to learn how to create those beautiful she art girls...its time to move forward in my life :)

Wow!!! How inspiring! I would love to win this. I want to take this class so much. Have thought about it everyday since the last launch. Paying it forward is so important in life. Thank you for reminding us. If I win, I will gift a spot in the class to my friend who is going through a tough time. She, like me...could use some "She Art"

It is probably too late but I would love to be able to take this class. I have fiber just like you as well as lupus and degenerative disk disease in 3disks. I have recently had to file for disability. I just started scrapping and doing mixed media lately. I had no idea how therapeutic creating can be. For a little while I forget about the pain. Do to me having to stay at home and med bills I can not take the class but I hope to at some point. Your work is such an inspiration to me. I am saddened to hear of your struggles with fiber. Very gentle hugs to you.

Can I say I'm blown away that you are Leora's sister? I LOVE her digi work! I'm with you on taking digi stuff and hybridizing it - so fun :) What a creative family you are part of! You are so sweet to decide to do your own pay it forward after being touched by the woman who has bought classes for her good friends. I've done that at the tollbooths and restaurants to random people, but this is big! Thanks Christie :)